Thunder Follows the Lightning Flash - 2001
by OnceUponAHPFan
Summary: Post Canon: Harry is still figuring out being an Auror and gets hurt as he tries to apprehend an old foe. Canon pairings. One of many connected mini-series (out of order)
1. Chapter 1

_I've been reading some great HP fics lately, but there hasn't been enough that cover the lives of Harry, Ron, Hermione and their families, IMO. I will be posting a new chapter weekly. This fic will have 3 chapters and then there will be multiple installments. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to DM with suggestions for other fics to read. Also, please review and follow if you're up for it!_

2001 – Three years following the Battle of Hogwarts

It all started as a normal day for Hermione Granger. After waking up, she fed Crookshanks, her enormous orange cat, and mentally prepared herself for the day while applying her makeup and attempting to corral her naturally frizzy mane. And, as she always did on days like these, pressed a kiss to her fingers and touched the picture of her fiancé.

The picture was from when they were still at Hogwarts and was obviously taken without the pair's knowledge at the time. Her busy hair was in full force and his freckles were in plain sight. But they were just looking at each other, smiling and laughing. It was from their sixth year, his final at school, before they both went gallivanting off with their other best friend to do nothing less than defeat the worst dark wizard of all time.

When they found the picture, that friend, Harry, gave them a good tease at how amazing it was that there existed a photograph of the two smiling around each other considering how much they argued that year.

But this was just after his birthday, when he'd been poisoned and had become her Ronald once more.

After a few seconds of allowing herself to be enveloped by nostalgia, she finally let herself tear her vision from the photo and shook herself back into reality. They weren't sixteen anymore. And Voldemort was gone, but Ron was still fighting dark wizards.

He and Harry had just graduated from Auror training nearly seven months ago. They had already gone on three long term missions, but this was the longest by far. The war may have ended three years before, but there were still Death Eaters out there who needed to be brought to justice. While the first three missions had not lasted longer than a week, this time she had not heard from Harry or Ron in a month. Neither had Harry's girlfriend, Ron's sister Ginny, who was handling it the exact same way Hermione was, by throwing herself into work. Ginny was a professional Quidditch player and Hermione always gave a small smile at how Ginny's fouling statistics always seemed to rise in correlation with her boyfriend's missions.

While it brought her some relief that the two boys would be together, it still brought Hermione terror to imagine her two best friends, one of whom being the man she had agreed to marry, being in such danger once more. Every time they went into the field she had to remind herself there would be no saving them as she had been able to do back in those days.

But she had to put it out of her mind. Today was an important day, she was going to try her first trial solo. She was a second-year associate solicitor at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (or DMLE). This was huge for an associate, but her boss, Bryan MacTavish, told her he had faith she could handle it.

So, with a deep breath, she flooed into the hustle and bustle of the Ministry of Magic. She paid no attention to the chaos surrounding her as she quickly glanced through the briefs one more time. The case was rather simple, but she wanted to nail it. As if on autopilot, she walked to the elevators, waited patiently for her floor, and walked down the long hallway to her office. She only looked up once to the unmarked door, foolishly hoping a silly red headed face would poke through it. When none did, she went back to her paperwork. Engrossed in her thoughts, Hermione opened the door to the solicitors' office but she didn't notice her boss until she walked right into him.

"Sorry!" She cried as the papers in both their hands exploded every which way.

As she reached for her wand, MacTavish beat her to it and with one wave each of their documents had returned to their arms.

"Everything alright, Counselor?" the burly Scotsman asked sincerely as she gathered herself.

Her usually bushy curls had been negotiated into the closest Hermione could get into a professional bun, with flyaways being controlled by an inordinate amount of anti-frizz potion. She patted her head quickly to check its condition to find nothing had yet escaped her efforts.

"Perfectly fine," she answered a bit too quickly. When she saw his knowing look, she refused to give in. Today was too important to lose herself to her worries.

"I'm just glancing through the motions of the case one more time, refining my strategy," she said as they walked to her desk. It was covered in overfilling folders and piles of paperwork, you could hardly see the mahogany underneath. Anyone who knew Hermione Granger knew that it was totally abnormal for her to be quite so disorganized. But, then again, anyone who knew her also knew that if her desk looked like an accounting office after a niffler had gone through it for gold, then when they went into the hallway they'd likely find the Hope Flame burning next to the Aurors' door. The flame would burn until all the Aurors on a mission were brought home, alive or… otherwise. That flame, as of this day, had now been burning for four full weeks, 28 days. And the papers on Counselor Granger's desk were piling up.

"Are you sure you want to do this today, Granger?" Bryan asked quietly.

Hermione looked up and looked around, a few of her colleagues were already at their desks, quietly reading or dictating to their quills. She looked back up to her boss, "Are you questioning my ability to handle this, sir?" she asked tersely.

He took a deep breath, "No one would think less of you if you let someone else take point during the trial today, Hermione. It's been…"

"I know how long it's been," she interjected. Instantly she regretted interrupting and looked her boss in the eye, "Bryan, I'm so sorry, I-…" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she thought of what to say, "I need to be able to handle this." Hermione fought the tears, she was better than this. She was Hermione Granger, she had held a piece of Tom Riddle's soul in her hands and destroyed it. She had survived a basilisk, dementors, and Death Eater torture. But this, this unknown that she was experiencing was somehow feeling so much worse. That being said, somewhere she gathered her strength and pushed through, "There will always be another mission," she said quietly.

MacTavish's eyes furrowed, "I'm sorry?"

"This is my life now," Hermione whispered, "He is going to be going on these missions and I will be left to live my life and wait for him to return. If I can't handle this now, I will never be able to handle it." With one more deep breath she looked to him and said, "I'm doing this, sir. And I will not let you down."

He smiled, "Glad to hear it. See you down there in a half hour."

Three hours later, she left the courtroom smiling, she had done brilliantly.

The case was somewhat complicated. The defendant, a wiry witch named Martha Langdom, was accused of trafficking Class C potions materials at her apothecary on Knockturn Alley. It had taken an undercover sting by the DMLE to discover that Langdom was not only trafficking some very serious and dangerous ingredients for potions, but she was also connected to an underground wand production ring. The woman was facing ten years in Azkaban if convicted.

Hermione had felt a great sense of triumph seeing the look on Langdom's face when the prosecution had presented the evidence found in a, previously, quite well-hidden room behind her main sales floor. Unicorn hairs, dragon heartstrings, and two phoenix feathers had been found as well as more unsavory items such as a bone of a house elf and a rubbery substance that she had been later told was likely cut from the tail of a mermaid.

When presented with the evidence Langdom remained defiant, staying silent the entire trial.

The Wizangamot voted unanimously, ten years in Azkaban.

Hermione's favorite moment, however, came as Langdom was being taken away. She was arranging her papers, preparing to return to her office when she looked up and saw the Minister walking towards her. It was still so odd, after everything she had been through with Kingsley Shaklebolt, to act as formally as his position required. This was the man who was the head of government, the pillar of morality and strength in the wizarding community ever since the end of the war. But he was also the man who had fought beside her on multiple occasions against the Death Eaters. He was a mentor and a friend.

"Minister," she acknowledged with a small smile, knowing how much he detested the moniker.

But, being Kingsley, he simply gave off his deep signature laugh and responded in kind, "Counselor. I was quite impressed by the work you did on this case. Outstanding performance for a second-year associate."

She couldn't meet his eye for his kind compliments, "I-I was just doing my job, sir." She replied, feeling her cheeks turning red.

"That you were," he said quietly. He looked around for a moment and in a quieter voice said, "Hermione?"

She looked up confused, usually they kept things professional at the Ministry, especially since she had been concerned people would assume she was getting special attention from the Minister having been a member of the Order with him.

"Sir?"

He smiled again, "I'm quite proud of you. And I know Ron and Harry will be as well when they return."

She opened her mouth to ask the question she had been wanting to ask for hours but he waved it away, "I don't know anything, which is a good thing," he reasoned, "I only seem to get bad news in my office."

"Kingsl…Minister, it's been almost a month with no word," she begged quietly, "I'm in agony alone in that house."

"You should go visit Molly more often, or to Wales and see Ginny," he insisted.

She shook her head, "I know I should… it's just… being at the Burrow without him, I…"

He kindly put his hand on her shoulder with a knowing smile, "I understand, I really do."

She thanked him for his kind words and began walking back towards the office. Once she reached the hallway, once more she allowed herself one quick glance at the Auror's door. No red headed face. And the candle stood silent on its perch.

Hermione felt her heart race as she looked back. The candle was no longer lit, that meant…

She knew she was not allowed into the Auror's office, annoyingly, so she bolted into her own and ran straight to MacTavish's desk.

"Bryan!" she exclaimed excitedly, "it's-"

"I know," he interrupted, "but we haven't heard anything."

Hermione deflated a bit at hearing this news, "Has any… no one's come and said anything?"

He seemed to know what she was getting at, "I'm sorry, Hermione. You know he wouldn't be able to come right away anyways. He probably has reports to file."

Never in her life had the prospect of paperwork been so comforting, "Of course," she replied feeling her energy return, "I'll just wait here and-"

"No," he interjected, "you will be distracted anyways, go home."

Hermione's eyebrows raised, "Go home?"

"If he stops by I'll tell him to see you at home," Bryan reasoned, "besides, just in case you need to be…notified of anything. The first place they check is the residence of the first of kin. You should go." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, softening his tone, "You did very well today, Counselor," giving her a kind grin, "You deserve the rest of the day off. Spend it with your man once he gets home."

Although the meaning behind what he'd meant earlier stuck in her mind, Hermione couldn't help but smile, "Thank you, sir!"

Ten minutes later she was stepping out of the floo at number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Ron?" she called excitedly, running through each corridor, "RON? Harry?"

"Miss Hermione is back early!" an older voice came from the kitchens.

"Kreacher," Hermione walked over to where the wizened elf was standing in the doorway, wiping a tumbler with a rag, "have either Harry or Ron come back yet?"

"Kreacher has not seen Masters Harry or Ronald since they left for their mission, Miss," Kreacher answered formally. "How did Miss Hermione's trial fare this morning? May I make you some lunch?"

Even in the two years she'd been living with the boys at Grimmauld, Hermione was still not terrible comfortable being waited on. But it certainly had its perks, especially that Kreacher was now so friendly, "It went wonderfully this morning, Kreacher, she was convicted on all charges," she replied brightly, "and some lunch would be brilliant, I'm starving."

Kreacher bowed smiling and hurried into the kitchen, presumably to begin cooking.

Hermione walked down the hall to the sitting room and sat heavily onto her favorite chair looking about her. The large room had been transformed since the first time she'd stepped foot in the place. The dingy grey wallpaper had been removed and the walls painted a subtle burgundy with a white trim. Red, for Gryffindor, Harry had explained to her with a smile. It was mean to signify the new history of this house. The old ugly furniture had been replaced and the walls were now adorned with photographs of smiling faces. Right in front of her was a large portrait that had been taken right after the war of herself, Harry, and Ron, all receiving their Order of Merlins, First Class.

Surrounding them were majority photos of various redheads, but also non-moving Muggle photos of her own family, and of course a wedding photograph that at first glance could honestly be Harry twirling Ginny on a dance floor. But on closer inspection, the ginger haired woman in the picture had no freckles, but instead she had Harry's emerald green eyes and his quiet smile. And the man who looked so much like Hermione's best friend had a certain swagger to his features that her friend never seemed to emulate.

It had been Harry's idea to move back to Grimmauld Place and to make it their own. Immediately after the Battle of Hogwarts they had all returned to the Burrow. Once they fixed it up (the Weasleys had been in hiding for two months) and Hermione could get through at least one night without nightmares, she and Ron took off to Australia to find her parents.

She cringed physically at the memory of her parents' faces when Wendell and Monica disappeared from their eyes and Mr. and Mrs. Granger became themselves once more. They were very confused at first and very angry. After many tense conversations, her parents seemed to understand why she did what she had done, and eventually they forgave her.

Once they returned, Ron and Harry were offered spots in the Academy by Kingsley. She was offered the same, but being an Auror had never been attractive to her, plus she wanted to finish school. Ron and Harry needed a place in London during training, so Harry suggested they all use Grimmauld as a home base.

While both Ron and Hermione's mothers voiced disapproval for them living together so young, neither of them really fought the decision. Especially when they were more concerned about Ginny and Harry having a place to run off to without supervision.

"Hermione!"

She jumped a little hearing her name coming from the fireplace. As if she'd known Hermione was thinking of her, Ginny's head was floating in the sitting room floo.

"Ginny! I was just thinking about you, have you-"

"Hermione, you have to come to St. Mungo's," the youngest Weasley's voice was serious.

"Ginny, I don't understand…"

"Please, help me, I can't do this alone. Come now!"

Hermione's heart was racing, what the hell could be happening? She jumped up from the chair and rushed to the fireplace, gracefully grabbing some Floo Powder.

"Kreacher, I have to go, about lunch," she shouted down the hall as she walked into the fire and yelled, "St. Mungos!"


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thank you so much everyone for your support and reviews so far! I took some of the reviews to heart, I realized that the original title insinuated a connection to a song about cheating and that is NOT what this fic is about, so I changed it. Thank you to the anon who pointed that out! Please enjoy chapter 2!_**

 ** _Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is owned by the amazing JK Rowling._**

 _One hour earlier_

Ginny Weasley's nostrils flared angrily as she stalked out of Gwenog's office.

"Get it together my arse…" she murmured to herself. She had just spent yet another tedious couple minutes being reamed out by her captain for her behavior.

The red-headed chaser felt like a child stomping back to her room as she walked, still fuming, into the women's locker room. Her teammates all pretended not to notice as she flung her locker door open, with the exception of a few jumps among the group as the door crashed back shut.

As she pulled her kit and boots into her duffel, she looked around and saw the looks on their faces. Some seemed annoyed, but every single one of them had one emotion Ginny didn't want to see. Sympathy.

Ginny hung her head, "I-I'm sorry guys… I don't mean to…"

"We know, Gin," her favorite teammate, their reserve keeper Julia Bennet spoke up, giving her a weak attempt at a smile, "we're just worried about you, that's all."

The chaser took a deep breath, "Yeah, well… I'll have a week to get my arse together, at home."

Julia crinkled her forehead in confusion, "A week? But we have a match against Cornwall on Thursday…"

"Yeah well that's generally how suspensions work," Ginny grumbled.

"What?" Thalia Thornton, a beater, exclaimed loudly, "you've been suspended?"

Ginny took a deep breath and looked her teammate in the eye, "Yeah. I'm really sorry everyone…"

The rest of her apology was drowned out by the shocked voices of her other friends. She was touched by the outrage in their faces, she had expected them to say she deserved it after she made Jake Wilmer cry during scrimmage earlier.

"Guys, Gwenog's right," Ginny admitted begrudgingly, "these distractions…you all deserve me at my best."

"Glad to hear you took my words to heart…" Ginny's head snapped in the direction of the door to the locker room and saw Captain Jones standing there. Any haughtiness or smugness she may have expected was not there, just a calm poker face.

"Come to check I was actually leaving?" Ginny asked lightly, a smile playing on her face. She held no animosity towards her tough mentor.

Gwenog neither laughed nor looked offended, "No, not at all you um," she stopped, appearing to be searching for her words, confusing all in the room. Gwenog Jones always knew what to say.

"You have a visitor."

Ginny's eyes narrowed, who would be visiting her at this moment? Then it hit her, the possibility that it could be _him_. Leaving her things, she rushed to her captain's side.

"Is it…?" she could hear herself whisper, hope shining from her eyes.

But Gwenog's face remained stoic, "Come with me," she said. And she wordlessly led Ginny out into the main hall.

"Gwenog," Ginny whispered as they walked quietly, "What…"

And that's when she saw the man standing at the end of the hallway. His scarlet robes gave him an imposing look. Seeing them just reminded Ginny of how much Harry hated those robes.

"Ginny…" her visitor started, looking very concerned indeed, "I'm…"  
"I know who you are, Milton," she said quietly, "What are you doing here?"

Milton Greer was an experienced Auror, one of the few that made it through Voldemort's short regime alive and with reputation intact. He miraculously survived the same battle that cost the life of Rufus Scrimgeour when he was knocked unconscious and presumed dead. He woke in the morgue and fled to Ireland with his muggle born wife and two sons, who thankfully had not been Hogwarts age, so no one came looking for them. Harry had described him to Ginny as a serious man, but one who was very welcoming to all the new trainees that had come in to beef up the force after the office had been devastated during the war.

She had met him once, at the most recent Ministry Christmas party, hence why she knew the face that now wouldn't look her in the eye.

But then the Auror training seemed to kick in and he straightened up, "Miss Weasley," he addressed her as formally as possible, "I regret to inform you that at approximately 1132 hours this morning, Auror Harry Potter was seriously injured in the line of duty."

"No…" Ginny heard herself beg, as her world began to spin shaking her head, "no, please." She felt a hand take hers and saw Gwenog in her peripherals, her always stern face now showing a hint of sympathy.

Auror Milton Greer continued, "He is currently in hospital at St. Mungo's in London, I have been sent by the Minister to escort you immediately to the Auror wing."

Ginny's eyes were filling with tears, and refusing to hear her own voice crack, all she could do is nod as every fear since Harry had started this job came to the surface.

As if she could read the young chaser's mind, Gwenog pulled her teammate and friend into a sturdy hug.

"He's going to be alright," she whispered, "I'm going to have your things sent to your mother's home. Take the week, this is the time to be with family."

 _With family_ , that reminded Ginny of something.

"What about my brother?" she demanded of Milton, breaking Gwenog's hug, "What about Ron?"

Milton shook his head, "I'm not sure, Ginny, I was at the Ministry when Minister Shaklebolt asked me to fetch you. But I'm sure, since you are family, they will be able to tell you if he is there."

She nodded again, and after explaining they would need to use Side-Along Apparition in order to reach the Auror wing, they left with a crack for London.

After the crushing darkness had dissipated, Ginny opened her eyes to the whitewashed walls of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies. But this was an area that she had never been in before. Looking behind her, she saw the large golden fountain happily bubbling down the narrow hallway. She'd never noticed this hallway before on the right-hand side, having always gone left to the elevators. It then occurred to her the passage was likely concealed, Greer had called it the Auror wing.

"This way please," Milton gestured to a door guarded by two very imposing witches in identical scarlet robes. Auror Greer walked straight up to the witch on the right and said, "I've brought Ginevra Weasley here to visit Auror Potter."

The witch he spoke to looked up at Ginny, squinted her eyes, obviously taking in her red hair. Ginny could hear her mutter, "Thank Merlin you brought her, Greer, the other Weasley's gone off his rocker."

Before Ginny could ask what she meant by 'off his rocker', the other witch waved her wand and the door unbolted. Obviously the doors had been magically soundproofed because the moment they opened, Ginny could hear the familiar voice of her brother yelling at a decibel she usually only associated with their mother. Unfortunately, her terror of what she would find upon stepping into the wing precluded her from remembering to be impressed.

Walking through the door, led by Greer, she stopped as she took in the scene in front of her. It was a normal St. Mungo's wing with five or six patient rooms in a semi circle around a Healer's station, except that it was in complete chaos. She could see two Healers attempting to control a disheveled man in muggle clothing, who seemed hellbent on pounding his fists on one of the closed doors of a patient room which had curtains blocking the view inside.

"You prat, Harry," Ron yelled at the glass, "why did you do that?"

She had never seen her brother in this state, "Ron!" she cried out.

Her voice seemed to break him out of this moment of insanity for at least a moment, "Ginny?"

Ginny rushed to his side, "What's happened? Where's Harry?" Damnit, she could feel the tears coming as she grabbed Ron's arm. Finally, he looked her in the eye and she saw the same fear in her heart reflected in her brother's.

"Ron, please…" she breathed.

He started shaking his head, "I-I can't…" And suddenly he turned back around ran back to the door he'd been pounding on. "You bloody bastard, Harry!" he cried, resuming his useless clamoring.

Ginny didn't know what to do. Her wand was in her hand, but no spells to help her brother came to mind. Even the Healers in the wing stayed back, obviously his wand had been taken away. No one knew what to do. She looked to her left and saw a fireplace with a jar on top and got an idea.

Without thinking she ran to the floo and threw some powder into the flames, yelling "Grimmauld Place!"

Moments after she pulled her head out of the fire, her brother's fiancée emerged with a terrified look on her face.

When Hermione looked up, she saw Ron standing and alive, and for a moment Ginny saw relief in her friend's demeanor. Until her boyfriend's best friend realized what Ron was doing and immediately ran to him.

He was still shouting and pounding his fists on the magically sealed door. With care, she grabbed the fist closest to her and pulled it to her chest, turning him to face her.

Ron's face was streaked with tears, and as she reached with her other hand to wipe them away, he held it to his cheek.

Like magic, he seemed to relax as he took the sight of his fiancée for the first time in weeks, "Hermione?" he asked softly.

"I'm here, Ron," Hermione said softly, "I'm here. What's happened?"

Before he could answer, a Healer emerged from the door to the room Ginny presumed from Ron's ministrations held Harry and looked around, "I'm looking for a Miss Weasley?"

She ran up to him, "I'm Ginny Weasley, please tell me he's alright."

The man noted her red hair and didn't bother confirming her identity, "Mr. Potter has a concussion, three broken ribs, third degree burns on thirty percent of his body, and some severe lacerations, but he's going to be fine."

A huge sigh of relief penetrated everyone in the room. Ginny allowed herself to relax some, but then turned her eyes to her brother, "You made it seem like…"

"Mr. Potter was unconscious when his partner here miraculously got him here in time for us to treat him. He had been hit by a very intense explosion. Mr. Weasley saved his life," the Healer said cheerfully, too cheerfully for Ginny at the moment, "He's been asking for you, if you'd like to see him."  
Feeling an apparently hereditary urge to, what was it, go off her rocker, Ginny forced a smile and nodded, following the Healer into the room, leaving her brother and Hermione behind.

When the Healer pulled aside the curtain, she saw a familiar head full of messy jet-black hair accompanied by a new nearly full beard laying on a hospital pillow.

Harry squinted as she walked in and as he moved his head back and forth looking for his glasses, she began to see the full extent of his injuries. He was naked from the waist up, but his entire body seemed to be bandaged up and he had a new cut on his face, just a few inches below his right eye. Ginny could tell as he blindly reached for his glasses, obviously unawares they were nowhere within his reach, that he was still in some pain by the grimace she saw in his face.

She quickly walked to his side and grabbed them for him, gently placing them on the bridge of his long nose.

One thing about Harry she knew would never get old was the look in his eyes when she first walked into a room. She had noticed it for the first time her fifth year at Hogwarts, a few weeks before they started dating the first time, right before he left her to go save the world. She spent an agonizing couple months at Hogwarts her sixth year without him, wondering whether the next bit of horrible news she would receive would be that he was gone forever. And then one day he was there, in the Room of Requirement, breathing. And when they made eye contact, for just the tiniest moment, she saw that same look. The same look of love and admiration that she now saw as he lay in a hospital bed.

"Hey you," he said softly, voice cracking.

She tried pushing back the tears, but it wasn't working, "Oh, Harry." And she flung herself into his arms.

He grunted a bit as she was sure she was putting pressure on some of his injuries, but when she tried to pull away, apologizing, he held on tighter. He only let her pull away a little farther to kiss her deeply. She felt his desperation to show her he was alive, that he was going to be ok with this kiss, and in all honesty it did. She took a deep breath, taking him in. He was breathing, alive, and with her once more.

"I'll be right outside if you need me," the Healer said, somewhat amused, and exited without acknowledgement from the couple.

When she finally broke away, Ginny stroked Harry's face with her thumb, holding his head in her hands.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

Harry shook his head, "You know I can't tell you anything, Gin."

"Harry, Ron was going nuts out there, he made it seem like…that you were…," she whimpered.

"Hey," his voice was rough, "I'm sorry. But I'm ok, this wasn't too bad. I've been in worse shape before."

"Don't remind me," Ginny murmured, stroking his hair, her breath stopping as she saw the lightning shaped scar, "I missed you… I was starting to worry when I didn't hear anything."

"It went much longer than expected," he said darkly, "Our source wasn't as honest as we had hoped."

She saw the dark look in his eyes, there was something else, "Harry, what happened? Who was the target?"

He hesitated and she saw the uneasiness in his demeanor, which meant this was something he could tell her but was trying to find a way out of it. She'd known this man, yes at twenty years old he was a man, since she was ten.

"It became personal, that's all I can say," Harry said, "I thought I could handle this… target but sh- they know how to get under my skin."

Ginny saw the regret in his eyes and decided in that moment that the last he needed was a lecture, and decided it was best to change the subject. So instead she pulled up the chair across from the bed and sat, holding his hand, to catch him up on Quidditch.

 **Thanks again for reading! Please share and review if you're so inclined. Chapter 3 will be hopefully up next week.**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank you again for reading! Keep up the reviews, they really do help!_**

 ** _Disclaimer: All characters and aspects of the WWW are owned by the great JK Rowling._**

 _Chapter 3_

Hermione held fast to Ron as they watched Ginny follow the Healer into the room.

"Come here," she led him over to a bench next to Harry's room. All the rest of the ward seemed to watch them warily, but the staff seemed more at ease that Ron was no longer shouting and began continuing to busy around with their work.

Speaking of her fiancé, he sat heavily at her coaxing and put his head in his hands.

She hadn't seen him like this in years, it was beginning to frighten her.

"Ron," she said quietly, "Harry's going to be alright. You heard the Healer, he's fine."

Finally he looked up, "He was just laying there, Hermione, on the ground. He didn't move a muscle. I kept calling his name and…nothing."

She recognized the look and knew all she could do was sit next to him, hold his hand, and wait their turn to confirm Harry's condition.

For months following the Battle of Hogwarts, she noticed Ron had a hard time letting Harry out of his sight. It was a side effect of watching your best friend lay apparently dead at the feet of his greatest enemy. Whenever Harry and Ginny went for a clandestine flight for some alone time or if Harry went to Diagon Alley alone, Ron would get this look of fear in his eyes. The fear she first saw the moment they looked around the Great Hall that night at Hogwarts and realized that Harry was gone. These feelings were at the surface once more in her fiancé's eyes.

She knew in her heart this was the reason he accepted the Auror position so quickly, to be there for Harry. It was a habit that everyone knew would be difficult for Ron to shake. Before Minister Shaklebolt had offered him the spot next to his best mate in the Academy, he and Hermione had discussed returning to Hogwarts together. But when the time came and he heard Harry would accept, he did so in a heartbeat. At first, she'd been a bit hurt until she realized why he'd done it. She would be safe at Hogwarts. For the first time in a year, she would be safe from bodily harm, Headmistress McGonagall would see to that. He could visit her on weekends and have the peace of mind that she was among friends.

But they both knew Harry. Harry would forever be the first to run into a fight to protect those he loved. And as an Auror, they both knew that his nobility streak would mean that protection would extend to all the innocent. Not to mention, Kingsley had given them a rundown of the needs of the Auror office, and it was mostly dangerous raids to find at large Death Eaters. And when Ron, poor Ron, had to pick between his best friend and his love, he knew who truly would need the protection. She couldn't begrudge him that.

And after all that, here he now sat, feeling as if he had failed. But he hadn't, Hermione had heard the Healer say that Ron saved their friend. She knew, though, that Ron wouldn't understand or comprehend that statement until he saw Harry's open eyes.

So she waited, holding his hand.

It felt like hours before Ginny emerged, looking serious but not distraught. So it must be true, Harry was alright.

"I'm going to call Mum," Ginny said hoarsely, now as her friend was closer, Hermione could see she had been crying, but was not going to acknowledge it, "and tell her everyone is ok."

"You're not going to tell her?" Ron asked, glancing at the doorway Ginny had come from.

"No," Ginny replied shortly, "she has enough going on at the moment. I know Angelina is due any day so she's been staying up late in case she's needed. I'm just going to say you and Harry are back, and that we will all be at dinner on Saturday." She looked pointedly at Hermione, who understood and nodded.

"Alright," the youngest Weasley straightened up, and in a very Molly-esque voice said, "You may see him now. But if I hear you raise your voice again, Ronald, you best hope the Healers get to you before I do." She may have been trying to make it a joke, but her face remained serious.

Hermione couldn't help but let a small smile play on her lips at her future sister's threat. Ginny had become Harry's keeper and caretaker, and he so needed it. As famously overprotective as Harry was of his Ginny, the feeling was certainly mutual. She was a strong and confident woman, traits that would certainly serve her as the partner of the noble and stubborn man that was Harry Potter.

As permission had been granted, Hermione got up and led Ron into the room.

When she walked in, relief flooded through her in seeing Harry sitting up, with his glasses and a small smile already on his face.

"Ah, she let you in I see," he said with amusement in his weak voice.

She rolled her eyes, scoffing, "Good lord, Harry," and gave him a ginger hug conscious of the array of bandages around his frame, "you're in quite a state, aren't you?"

Harry shrugged as best he could, "Been worse off, they said I'll be out of here by tomorrow." He looked at Ron who as of yet had not made eye contact, "Ron, I…"

"Why'd you do it, Harry?" Ron croaked quietly.

His best mate sighed, Hermione had the Level 3 clearance necessary, they could discuss this now.

Harry grabbed his wand and pointed it at the door, " _Muffiliato."_ And looked back at his friend with guilty eyes.

"Why?" Ron repeated. Hermione saw his face was no longer angry, just tired.

Harry's face on the other hand had darkened with anger, "Did she get away?"  
"Yes, Harry, she got away," Ron's voice rose slightly, "Because not only did you disobey our direct orders not to engage, you let her get the best of you."  
Hermione needed to get clued in, "Who is she? Who was your target?"

"I was holding it together just fine…" Harry argued, ignoring Hermione's questions, "until she started on about Remus."

Ron's eyes shut, and took a deep breath.

"No," Hermione suddenly realized exactly the 'she' they were discussing.

"Yes." Ron said simply, "Our target was Umbridge."  
"That _toad_ did this to you, Harry?" Hermione demanded, suddenly furious.  
"Her and a few of her former Ministry colleagues," Harry said, and then went into the story.

Dolores Umbridge was at the Ministry during the Battle of Hogwarts in '98. When word came in that the Dark Lord had fallen, she gathered a few of her underlings and cleaned house of important evidence before disappearing.

Harry looked to Ron, who nodded his agreement, and then began the story.

"We had good…well, what we thought was good…intel that the hag was hiding out in Normandy in a seaside cottage. Well we got there and she knew we were coming." Both Aurors were shaking their heads, "She started magnifying her voice, it filled the whole clearing where the house was at. She didn't just know Aurors were coming," Harry's voice grew hard, "she knew _I_ was coming."

Hermione's heart was pounding. Umbridge's physical and psychological torture of Harry had left lasting effects that she, Ron, and Ginny had been working very hard to reverse. But whenever the light caught his left hand just right, they saw in his chicken scratch handwriting the words. _I must not tell lies_.

"It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before," Harry reasoned, "until she…" The memory consumed him and his eyes closed.  
Seeing his friend's pain, Ron finished for him, "She threatened Teddy," he said bluntly.

Hermione gasped, "She didn't… how did she even know about Teddy?"

Ron shrugged, "I don't think she knows he's Harry's godson. But she knows how close Remus was to Harry before… Anyways, she told him that she knew the 'half-breed' Lupin had a child and that um…she would destroy him. Then Harry here," he looked accusingly at his partner, "decided to break formation and spring her trap, which was in the form of motion activated incendiary spells. Turns out we were already outnumbered so they had no problem forcing their way out of the anti-apparition wards we'd put up and getting away."

"I almost got to her, Ron," Harry said, bitterly, "Once the bombs started going off, I had a shield charm going in front of me. I had to turn it off thought to hex her and then… there must have been one less than two feet from me because all I saw was the flash and then I woke up here."

"It was less than that, actually," Ron replied, "Nacturn said you nearly stepped on it."

Harry kept shaking his head, looking to Hermione for help but got none. She was furious that he allowed himself to be manipulated by Dolores Umbridge once more.

"Harry, you can't let those taunts get to you," she cried, "You're an Auror now _and_ you're the famous Harry Potter. People are going to threaten Teddy, they're going to threaten Ginny, me, Ron, everyone you care for. But the best way for you to protect your family, the ones you love, is to keep the course and not let them get to you. Because if you do, then you cannot continue this job, it will kill you, just as it nearly did today."

It was direct, but it was necessary. And she could see her words were being heard by the look of shame in his eyes.

"You're right," he choked, his voice thick with emotion. He turned to Ron, "I'm sorry she got away, Ron."

Ron shook his head, "You think that's why I went bonkers? Merlin, Harry. That last bomb went off and all I saw was you laying on the ground bleeding. And my first thought…" his voice broke, but he took a deep breath and continued, "my first thought was, 'what am I going to say to Ginny?' Not only was that my best friend not moving on that hard ground, but the man my sister loves. If you can't keep the course for me, or for Hermione, do it for Ginny. I know I promised to be the one to tell her if… if the worst happened… but you have to promise me you'll do everything to not put me in that position."

Harry's eyes glistened with tears, "I shouldn't be putting her through this at all, she deserves better."

"Harry Potter don't you dare start that," Hermione interjected, "Ginny and I have endured a month without a word from you two and we have done so without falling apart. She is not fragile, she is strong. But you best be sure to make it worth it for her by not ending up in this hospital on a regular basis. Are we clear?"

It was her best Professor McGonagall impression, and the terseness in her voice actually made him smile, "You got it, Hermione."

She returned his smile, "Good, also I should think I'd be very unhappy if Ronald's best man offed himself before our big day. I imagine I need someone to count on to drag him to the altar." She winked to her fiancé who played incredulous.

"Drag me to the altar? As if I wasn't the one who asked you there in the first place!"

"Well, at the very least someone to get you there on time."

All Harry could do is sit there chortling.

"What?" Ron asked, confused, looking back and forth at Hermione.

The Healer came in once more, looking affronted, "Is everything alright in here, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded, "All right here, thank you."

The young man looked back and forth at the three old friends suspiciously, but eventually did walk out.

The moment he closed the door, all three burst out laughing, tension melting away, and relief finally settling in.

 _ **This was the final chapter for THIS fic, but this will be a multi-installment kind of thing. The next installment will be from 2003 and you will see some Harry and Ginny perspectives! Please, please review and follow if you want to keep up with the next installments. Also, please review with points from the future YOU want to see! I have some ideas already but I am more than happy to take requests! Thanks again!**_


End file.
